Almost all vehicles are manufactured to include at least one pair of sun visors which are mounted near the main viewing window such as a front windshield. One visor is usually placed in front of the vehicle operator (e.g., above the driver's seat) and the other visor is usually placed in front of the vehicle's passenger (e.g., above the passenger seat). The function of each visor is to prevent the transmission of sunlight to, primarily, the driver, and secondarily, to the passenger in order to allow the vehicle to be operated safely.
Standard sun visors leave a gap or opening in the area surrounding the rear view mirror. This unshielded space, or sunlight transmission area, allows harsh sunlight to be transmitted to the driver thereby potentially obstructing the driver's vision, and hence, the driver's ability to operate the vehicle safely. This effect is more noticeable in the morning hours and the late afternoon hours, when the sun is either coming up or going down, thereby having an almost linear light transmission path towards the driver's eyes.
To partially solve this problem, manufacturers have manufactured newer model cars with sun visors which have a slidable shield which can be pulled out from the visor to partially cover the unshielded space. While this option provides a solution, it is found only in newer model vehicles and does not completely cover the sunlight transmission area. These types of visors can likely be retrofit into older model vehicles, however, they will be costly both to manufacture and to install.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for a low-cost, single piece system, apparatus or device which can substantially reduce or otherwise eliminate the transmission of sunlight in the area surrounding a vehicle's rear view mirror and between the driver's side visor and the passenger's side visor. The present invention satisfies this need.